In My Arms
by wwechick
Summary: In My Arms is a narrative told by Dean Ambrose and how he meets a girl by the name of Renee Young. Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns also have starring roles along with a couple other familiar faces and one OC.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, readers. This is my first attempt at a narrative story. Hope you like it. Let's begin.**

 **In My Arms**

' _I thought it was forever. I thought it would last._

 _Gotta try to make it a page from my past._

 _You didn't even say goodbye when you slammed that door._ '

Women. Can't live with 'em. Can't live without them. That was a thought that was running through my mind as I drove down the road singing along to the classic Alabama hit. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Dean Ambrose...to the WWE Universe. To other's, I'm known as Jonathan. Jonathan David Good. I am currently on the main roster as one-third of the heel group known as The Shield along side Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand. Women. Women, women, doggone women. I never understood them. Never. Manicures. Pedicures. Stiletto heels. Celebrity crushes on the likes of George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Dwayne Johnson. They're just actors. I know I'm no Ryan Gosling, but I'm pretty sure I could do a movie. Hey. Put that on my bucket list. Be in a movie. A starring role. A lead role. Maybe a comedy? Nah. Romance? YUCK! Sy-fy? Nope. Horror? No, I hate scary movies. Action? Right up my alley. Probably not any kind of superhero but a cop maybe? Hmm...That could work. Acting in a movie could get a girl to fall in love with me. Yeah! Right!

However, I've had women trouble many times in my life. Even at this very moment.

Picture this.

Oh hold on. Air guitar solo.

 _'Dun-dun-dun-dun. Dun-dun-dun-dun. Dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun.'_

Okay. Now where was I? Oh yes.

Picture this. You're in your hotel room packing your stuff to go to the All-State Arena for Monday Night Raw when you get a text. Not a text where you get a goofy picture or somebody just saying hello. No, I'm talking the 'I-don't-love-you-anymore-I've-met-someone-else-A-real-man' text.

Ouch. That really hurt. Fine, not really. But, a real man? Come on! I treated Gina like a queen. I cared for her and loved her. I showed her respect. I never lifted a hand to her. Anyways, the text went on to say that she couldn't handle the life of a wrestler anymore. Keep in mind, I did explain to Gina that me being gone and on the road a lot was what came with the territory of being a WWE Superstar. Honestly, she wasn't easy to handle sometimes either. Trying to get me to stay home, trying to change me. So, I had a feeling she would break up with me sooner or later. I wasn't the least surprised or unhappy. Oh, well. So much for Gina. Like Alabama sings, you can't keep a good man down.

5 minutes later and I pull into the arena. I park my car, grab my luggage, then head on inside. I find my Shield bretheren in one of the male locker rooms. We said our hellos and fist bumped each other before I sat my bags on the floor.

"So, what's in the plans for us tonight, gentlemen," I ask.

"Same as usual, dude," Seth answered. "Taping a promo in the boiler room, then mayhem and destruction. Then to top it off with our signature triple power bomb."

"Sweet."

"I love that idea," Roman stated. "So, how's that girlfriend of yours?"

I told them about the break-up text I had received from Gina that afternoon. They had both agreed, along with some of the other guys in the room, that I was better off without her.

"You gonna be alright?" Roman asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I see you guys have your gear on already. I'll just grab my stuff and change in the bathroom."

Later on, Seth, Roman and myself found our way to the boiler room. Roman went over to talk to the backstage crew going over what was going to be said in our promo. I bent over to touch my toes when I felt a tap on my back.

"Hey, um, I just want to ask one last time, then I'll leave it alone. Are you sure you're gonna be alright?"

I straightened up to face Seth and did my routine bouncing in place. "Of course I'm gonna be alright. I'm good. Good's my middle name."

"I thought Good was your last name."

"Well, yeah, Good's my _real_ last name. I was just..."

"I know. Figure of speech. Got it. I just want to make sure. Just trying to be a friend."

I stopped bouncing. "Well, I could use a friend," I said seriously.

"That's what Roman and myself are here for. If you want to talk at all, let us know. Okay, buddy?"

I nodded. "It's much appreciated. Truly. Thank you."

"No problem at all. Now, come on. Let's go cut that promo."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

After doing a few takes of our promo in the boiler room, we made our way to catering to grab a bite to eat before the taping of Monday Night Raw. Roman and Seth took their places at a table sitting their plates down, then taking their seats. I sat my plate on the table when I realized I forgot silverware.

"You guys need anything while I'm up?"

"I forgot to grab napkins," Roman answered.

"Me too," Seth replied.

I made my way back towards the table where the silverware and napkins rested when Daniel Bryan approached me.

"Hey there, Dean."

"Daniel," I greeted with a handshake. "How's it going?"

"Not bad. Yourself?"

"Doing good."

Daniel Bryan and myself have a little history together. Before coming to the WWE, we wrestled in Dragon Gate USA in the indies circuit. We even wrestled against each other at one point. Our names back then were Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley.

"Ready for another episode of RAW?"

"Sure thing. Ready for another beat down from the Shield?"

"Ha-ha. Very funny, Dean."

"Funny for me, anyway," I joked.

"Uh-huh. All joking aside. I saw you and wanted to talk. I heard about your breakup with Gina."

"Oh."

"I don't mean to intrude on your privacy, but, are you gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, man. I'll be alright."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, yeah. To be honest, I wasn't the least bit surprised when I found out Gina was breaking things off with me. I had a feeling myself that things between us weren't gonna last much longer."

"Sounds like you're taking things pretty well under the circumstances you're under."

"I am actually."

"Well, I just wanted to say I was sorry. If you ever want to talk, you have my number or come find me."

If there was one thing about the WWE, it was like we had each other's backs. We were like more than friends. We were like a family in a way.

"Thanks, Daniel. That means a lot to me."

"Hey, not a problem. Take care of yourself, alright?"

"Will do."

Daniel gave me a pat on the arm before walking away. Now, what was I going after? Oh, yes. Napkins and plastic silverware. I turned back to go get what I needed when...

"OOF!"

Good night! What did I hit? Or who? I looked down. What? I turned and bumped into...a woman? I bumped into a woman? Smooth move, idiot. She sat up on her rear end.

"Oh man..." she uttered.

I knelt down to her. "I'm so sorry. So very sorry. I should have been paying attention. Are you alright?"

"Yes," the blonde-haired woman chuckled. "I'm fine, I swear."

"Please. Let me help you up. Please."

"Oh, thank you."

I stood up straight and took her by the hands. I carefully pulled her to her feet. However, our chests bumped together and she stepped on my right foot.

"Ow."

"Oops. Sorry. My bad."

"It's actually my bad. I ran into you."

Okay, this was awkward. We were standing awfully close and I had yet to release her hands from mine. My eyes were fixated on hers. Boy, she was beautiful. She has beautiful eyes. Beautiful mouth.

Wait a moment, doofus. You are going through a break-up. It's too early to be thinking of women right now. Idiot.

"Um...could I have my hands back now, please?"

Yeah, knucklehead, you still have hold of her hands. Wake up.

"Oh. Excuse me," I said releasing her hands.

"It's fine."

"I'm really sorry I bumped into you. Hope I didn't hurt you too much."

"No harm done."

"You know, I've never seen you around here before."

"Well, I'm new here. I'll be handling the backstage interviews."

"Oh, right. We heard we were getting somebody new for the backstage interviews. Welcome to the WWE."

"Thank you."

"What's your name?"

"Renee. Renee Young?"

"Renee Young?"

"Well, my real last name is Paquette."

"Paquette?"

"P-A-Q-U-E-T-T-E."

"I like Young better. Easier to spell. Okay, that was a terrible joke."

Smooth, buddy. She chuckled? Okay, she chuckled.

"Seeing as you now know my name, I'm interested in knowing yours."

"It's Dean. Dean Ambrose."

"Hmm. Interesting name."

"It's my ring name. My real name is Jonathan Good."

"I like it."

"The Dean Ambrose or the Jonathan Good?"

"Both."

Wow.

"Well, I hate to end this discussion, but I'm supposed to meet with Vince here in a few minutes. But, it was very nice to meet you."

"Likewise. Although, I wish it would have been under better circumstances."

"I found our first meeting was, actually...quite interesting."

I watched Renee walked towards the doors of catering and exit out of my sight. I exhaled a breath of air. Boy, she was pretty. Again, dude. You and Gina. Broken up. Separated. No longer together. Hello? Sound familiar? Does this not register to you yet? My mind was telling me that this was not the best time to be thinking about women. Maybe, my mind was right.


	3. Chapter 3

**Time to introduce my OC...not in a very friendly way either as Dean Ambrose will shortly find out.**

 **Chapter 3**

Monday Night Raw was going perfectly. A diva's match was going on as we were walking the backstage area. We were going to make our entrance through the crowd pretty soon. We were gonna go out there and do what the Shield do best. We were gonna show no mercy to anybody that stepped in our way. Believe that.

But, that was later on. Now, other things were on my mind: emptying my bladder. The bathroom was calling my name. I had to make a little trip to the toilet before our moment on Raw approached cause I would hate to wet myself in front of a live audience and those watching at home. How embarrasing that would be. I excused myself from Roman and Seth and told them I would catch up with them.

I entered the men's restroom, then took my place in a private stall to do my duty. After a few moments, I finished and pulled up my pants and flushed. I was just about to walk out of the stall, yet I found myself being shoved back into the stall and he locked the door. I grunted when my back was slammed against the wall. The huge muscular man, if you could even use the term 'man' based on his size. He was a couple inches taller than me and I guessed 265 in muscle. He had short dark hair and clean shaven. No piercings or tattoes.

He had my wrists restrained above my head and a hand over my mouth.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"

He leaned in and sniffed my neck. My eyes bulged in surprise.

"Ahh...a rat. A dirty, stinky, greasy rat. A rat that needs to be disposed of permanently."

Reginald Jenkins. I remembered him from developement. All the women thought he was hot and very sexy. All the men thought he was egotistical and conceited. I myself thought the same thing. But what was he doing in here with me? What did he want? What did I ever do to him? Nothing.

"You're probably wondering why I'm here."

What was this guy, a mind reader?

"Well, I'll tell you why I'm here. It concerns that blonde-haired girl you were talking to earlier. Remember? Renee? My _girlfriend_?"

Wait. What? Renee is this guy's girlfriend? Seriously? She is a relationship with _this_?!

"I was there in catering earlier today. I saw you. Bumping into her and talking to her."

I mumbled something beneath his bear paw of a hand. He removed it.

"Excuse me?"

"I said I didn't mean to bump into her. It was an accident. I apologized, helped her up and introduced myself. I didn't realize me talking to her was an issue, especially for you."

He grabbed me by my black vest, pulled me towards him and slammed me against the wall again.

"Don't you dare backtalk me, boy."

Boy? I've never appreciated someone calling me boy.

"You listen to me now, you puny worm, and you listen good."

First boy and now puny worm. I've been called a lot worse and that's the best he could come up with?"

"I'm telling you once and only once. If I ever see you talking to my girlfriend again, I guarantee you that you will regret it."

"Uh-huh. And how exactly will I regret it?"

He clasped me by my face.

"Don't try me...and you won't find out. Got it?"

He released my face, then stepped back.

"You've been warned. Consider this a free pass."

Reginald unlocked the door to the bathroom stall, then exited. I flexed my jaw, rubbing where he grabbed me. I heard the bathroom door open and close. I inhaled and exhaled before I walked out of the stall. I walked over to the sink to wash my hands. Moments later, I was out of the bathroom to catch up with my teammates for that night's delivery of pain to the poor unlucky sap that stepped in the way of the Shield.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the tag team champions Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns and the United States champion Dean Ambrose; The Shield."

We stepped into view of the camera.

"Dean, Seth, Roman, last week, you guys attacked 3 of RAW's top stars Randy Orton, John Cena and Daniel Bryan."

Seth interrupted. "Renee, you don't have to tell us what happened last week. We know what happened. We were there. We reminded Cena, Orton, and Daniel Bryan what we are capable of, what destruction we can cause. We reminded them that The Shield are a full-blown lean, mean, wrecking machine. We are indestructible."

"That's right, Renee," Roman added. "Like many have found out before hand, we dish out pain and suffering to anybody that stands in our way. Why? Cause that's what we do. You cross our path, you'll get run over."

I gently took Renee's right wrist and turned it towards me so the microphone was facing me. "It doesn't matter if you're Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton, John Cena, or Santa Claus. It makes no difference to us. We will take them down. All of them! We won't stop until everybody in that lockerroom knows our name. We will show everybody who we are and what we're all about. And you, sweetheart, can believe that. Let's go fellas."

We stepped out of the frame leaving Renee confused. 5 seconds later we heard "CUT!"

We were congratulated Renee and us on our backstage interview. The promo would be aired later on tonight for this week's RAW.

"I hope you're not too intimidated by us, Renee," Roman said.

"Me? Intimidated by you guys? No way. You're pretty cool."

"You're not so bad yourself," Seth commented.

"Easy, guys," I chimed in. "You're making the lady blush."

Renee chuckled after I gave her a friendly wink. Seth mentioned we had better go looking for Orton, Cena, and Daniel for our 6-man tag team match tonight. We got ready to walk away when I noticed Renee clutching her right side. She cringed. I told Seth and Roman I would catch up with them later. I walked over to Renee.

"You okay?"

She straightened up. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just took a fall yesterday. Still feeling the affects today."

"Sorry to hear that. Anything broken?"

"No." She pulled up her shirt just showing her rib cage. "Just discolored."

"Ouch. Looks painful."

"There's my girl!"

Reginald Jenkins came up from behind Renee and pulled her close to his side.

"What's up, baby?"

"Nothing. Just talking. We shot a backstage interview, me and The Shield."

"Cool. Well, dear, if you don't mind, I would like to have a little conversation with Ambrose here if you don't mind."

"Um, yeah. Sure. I think I have another backstage interview to go film for tonight. Thanks, Dean, for your help. Tell Seth and Roman I said thank you also."

"I'll pass the message along."

Reginald and myself watched Renee walk away. Reginald grabbed hold of my arm and led me down the hall. We found an empty locker room and stepped inside. The door shut behind us and I heard the door being locked.

"So, you bring me in here to tell me what?"

"Well, let's make you more comfortable. Here. Have a seat."

I turned around only to have the head of the chair jammed into my stomach. I doubled over groaning, then collapsed to my knees. No sooner did I hit the floor did I feel a hard kick to my right side.

"You apparently didn't my message last week on staying away from my woman. Now, guess you'll have a bruise to match hers."

He rolled me onto my back and pressed a foot against my throat. I gagged as he applied more pressure.

"Stay away from my girlfriend. You understand me? This is the last time I will warn you. Keep your distance from my woman. She's mine. Not yours."

He removed his foot from my throat. I rolled to my left as I coughed and gasped for a breath. He leaned down in front of me.

"Listen to me now, Ambrose. If you ever come near Renee again, or if you ever so much as tell anybody what happened here, I will kill you. You hear me? I will _kill_ you."

He rose to his feet as I continued rubbing my neck. Reginald walked over me, then walked out the door. I layed there on the floor when something occured to me. Reginald said after kicking me that I might now have a bruise to match hers. It was then I realized.

"Oh no..."

Renee did not fall.

Renee had been abused.


	5. Chapter 5

**Things are about to get physical for a certain Lunatic Fringe.**

 **Chapter 5: Later on that night.**

We had just finished our main event 6-man tag team match with Randy Orton, Daniel Bryan and John Cena. The match was fantastic and the crowd ate it up. Even though we 'lost', we had a blast out there knocking each other around the ring. Daniel, John and Randy congratulated us on a job well done before they departed from us.

"Man oh man," Seth said as we continued our walk backstage. "I love those guys. They gave us a great match."

I agreed. "Great great match. That RKO looked like it hurt though, Roman."

"Maybe a little bit." We laughed. "So, what about Smackdown tomorrow night, fellas? What's on the agenda?"

"The same exact thing we've been doing," Seth answered. "Take no prisoners."

"Show no mercy," Roman added.

"Destroy," I concluded.

We shared another laugh and fist bumps all around.

"Sounds good to me," Roman stated. "Right now, what sounds really good to me is a nice warm shower."

We walked down the hallway a little further when I heard arguing in one of the rooms. I stopped the guys, then walked to the nearest door to my right. I stopped in front of the door and listened. A man and woman arguing back and forth.

"What's going on?" Seth whispered.

"Somebody having a disagreement," Roman said.

Something made a loud thud against the wall making us jump.

"Please! Stop!"

I gasped. Renee.

"Quit your crying or I'll give you something to cry about!"

Reginald. That did it. I pushed the guys back and brough my foot up. I kicked the door inward, then entered. I saw Renee standing against a far wall with Reginald standing closely to her, right hand raised ready to strike. They turned their eyes towards me.

"DON'T TOUCH HER!" I demanded.

Renee rapidly moved away from Reginald and over to me.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"Roman. Seth. Get her out of here. Now!"

I watched as my teammates guided Renee out of the room. I turned to see Reginald stocking towards me.

"What have you done?!"

"You want to beat on somebody? You want to beat on Renee again?"

I removed my shield vest from my torso and tossed it aside.

"Try beating on me."

Reginald tilted his head sideways. "What?"

"I won't even lift a finger."

"You didn't get enough earlier tonight, did you?"

"Apparently not. Was that the worst you could do to me?"

Reginald stared at me. "You're crazy."

"I'm not as crazy as you think."

He sighed. "You're right. You're not crazy."

He balled up his right fist and socked me hard in the face. Before I hit the floor, he grabbed me and slammed me against the wall. His hand circled around my throat. I felt myself being lifted off my feet.

"You're not crazy. You're stupid. So very stupid."

I struggled under his grasp. "You're the one slapping women around and _I'm_ the stupid one?"

He pulled me towards him and looked deep into my eyes. "You want another beating, you've got it."

He picked me up over his head and carried me over to the other side of the room. He threw me against the wall and I crashed onto the sofa. I rolled off the couch onto the floor. He walked over and buried the toe of his 14 inch boot deep into my stomach, then yanked me to my feet. He grabbed me by my face forcing me to look at him.

"When I told you to stay away from my girl, you should have listened. But did you? No."

He kneed me in the gut, then delivered another hard punch to my face. I landed on my back at his feet. He lowered himself to me. "Dean, Dean, Dean. You should have stayed out of my business from the start. And now...I must make you pay."

"Go for it," I challenged.

"With pleasure."

He balled up his right fist and connected with my face. He swung with a left at my face again. He kept hitting me over and over again in the face until I heard other wrestlers voices from the outside of the room. Several of them rushed into the room and pulled Reginald Jenkins off of me. They led him out of the room as Triple H made his way in. He walked over and knelt in front of me.

"Ambrose. Ambrose, it's Hunter. Can you hear me?"

I opened my eyes and smiled a bloody grin. "Loud and clear, Hunter. Loud and clear."

"Somebody get a trainer in here right now! Ambrose need medical attention! He's hurt!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

A black eye, bruised ribs, bruised left cheek and a busted lip. Oh, the beatings I take in this sport. Inside the ring and outside the ring. The way I see it, better me on the end of the beating than Renee. I hope she's okay. I was standing at the sink in the men's restroom running a rag under the water so I could clean my lip when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in." I answered turning the faucet off.

The door opened and revealed Hunter standing there. He entered the restroom, then shut the door.

"Hey, Ambrose."

I turned to greet him. "Hunter."

"Wow, man. Look at you. You look like you got hit by and 18 wheeler."

"Yeah, and his name was Reginald Jenkins," I replied wiping blood from my lip.

"You gonna be okay?"

I scoffed. "Me? Okay? That beating was nothing compared to the beatings I've taken in the past."

"Yeah. I've seen your work in the Indies. Your CZW stuff? Crazy. Intense."

"Very intense. But, I'm fine. Really. How's Renee?"

"A little shaken up, but that's it."

I threw the rag away. "Did he hurt her?"

"She said he didn't."

"I burst through the door. His hand was up in the air ready to slap her."

"Did he?"

"No. I stopped him. I told him not to touch her. She rapidly moved away, made her way over to me. Seth and Roman were standing by the door. I told them to get her out of there. I turned to him and told him if he wanted to beat on someone, it might as well be me."

"You took the beating for her."

"Of course. What's gonna happen to him?"

"We have an extremely low tolerance for domestic violence here in the WWE. Physical abuse is not tolerated around here. He was arrested and taken away to jail. We terminated his contract with the WWE. He will never wrestle for us or any other cooperation ever again."

"In other words, his wrestling days are over."

"Exactly."

"I'm glad to hear that. I'm sure Renee is too. That beating I took tonight was not the only altercation I had with him?"

"It wasn't?"

I relayed to him the events heading up to tonight. Every detail. He listened intently. When I was done telling him what happened, he just shook his head.

"Talk about jealous."

"Can you say 'conceited in the head'?"

"That's true too. Dean, you did the right thing stepping in for Renee. If it hadn't been for you...well, you didn't exactly come out clean from that."

"No woman deserves that. Ever. I was glad to take that beating for her. If I could do it for all abused women, I would."

"You're a good man, Ambrose. Vince and I were talking and we are giving you and Renee some time off."

"But, what of the Shield? Roman? Seth? We're a team."

"We discussed it with them already. They agree you need to step away long enough for your wounds to heal properly. Same goes for Renee. We heard she suffered from him last night."

"Bruised side. Like mine."

Another knock sounded at the door. The door opened revealing Renee standing there.

"I'm sorry to intrude. I just wanted to check on Dean."

"No apologies necessary, Renee," Hunter said.

"Could I speak to him privately, please?"

"Sure thing."

Hunter turned to walk out of the restroom. He had opened the door when I had to ask. "Hunter. God forbid but, if anything like this were to happen to your kids or your wife, what would you do?"

"You really want to know?" I nodded. "Let's just say the things I would do would put me behind bars for the rest of my life."

Hunter left the restroom leaving Renee and myself on our own. She reached up and gently touched my bruised cheek.

"Look at this. Your eye. Your lip."

I removed her hand from my face. "It's nothing. Really?"

"You call this nothing? Are you gonna be alright?"

"Yeah. I will be. You?"

"I think so. Dean, I'm so sorry for this."

"Why are you sorry? You did nothing wrong."

"I'm sorry for what happened to you."

"None of this was your fault. Understand?" She nodded. "Now, answer me truthfully. Did he hit you tonight?"

"No."

"Look me in the eyes and tell me again. Did...he...hit...you...tonight?"

"No."

I believed her. "Okay. Hunter said he is giving us some time off to heal from our wounds. We are being sent home."

"Home? I can't go home. Everything I own is at..."

She cleared her throat. She couldn't finish her sentence. The look on her face spoke louder that words ever could. Everything she had was at Reginald's place. She couldn't go back there. I wouldn't allow it. Never. I hadn't known her for very long, but I still had the urge to help her. And help her, I would.

"Well then, I think I have an idea."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

A couple days later, we pulled into my Vegas apartment. I put my truck in park, and turned off the ignition. Renee, sitting in the passengers seat, rubbed at her arms. As I watched her, questions raced through my mind like 'Why? Why did this happen to Renee? How could anybody hurt her?'

"Renee?"

Her eyes met mine.

"You okay?"

She nodded in reply.

"What's on your mind, hon?"

"You didin't have to do this. You didn't have to help men."

"What kind of person would I be to if I didn't help you? What kind of man would I be to ignore a woman in trouble?"

Renee turned her eyes away from me and towards my apartment.

"What can I do to repay you?"

"Nothing."

She looked at me again.

"I'm serious."

"So am I. Come on. Let's go inside."

We grabbed our bags and made our way inside. She stepped through the door and looked around. It wasn't much. A two bedroom one bathroom apartment was good enough for me...for now until I could find something else. Whenever we had a show here in Vegas, I always let Roman and Seth stay over to save them a little money. I sat my luggage by the front door.

"So, would you like to see your room?"

"Sure."

I carried her bags to the spare bedroom. Wasn't a lot to it. A bed and dresser drawers with a tv sitting on top. Just the basics. I sat her bags by the closet and placed my hands in my jeans pockets.

"It's not much, but the bed is comfortable.

"It will do just fine," she answered sitting on the bed.

"There's an extra pillow and blanket on the top shelf in the closet."

"Thank you."

"I'll go get my bags and take them to my room. Go ahead and make yourself comfortable."

"Okay."

I left the room leaving Renee to herself. I grabbed my bags from the front room and made my way to my room. I unpacked my things then went to check on Renee. I peeked into the spare bedroom and Renee was still on the bed. She had fallen asleep.

I walked in and looked at her resting body on top of the mattress. Just sleeping. Sleeping on her right side, her right arm cradling her head as her left arm draped across her midsection. She looked so peaceful. I walked over to the closet and retrieved the extra blanket. I opened it up and covered her with the blanket. I glanced at her a few more seconds before walking out of the room and closing the door softly behind me.

It was after 6 when I got back from the store and I decided to order Chinese for Renee and myself. She had been sleeping since after 3 and I thought she might be a little hungry. A knock sounded at my door. I went to answer the door for the Chinese delivery man. I paid for the food, then took it inside and sat it on the counter...

 ***CRASH***

My head jerked up from the sound. I made a beeline for the spare bedroom. I rapidly ran into the room and flipped on the light. The lamp fell on the floor shattering to pieces. Renee's arms were waving about in the air as if she were trying to hit something or someone. She was even kicking at the mattress. She was having a nightmare. I approached the bed and tried to wake her up.

"NO! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"Renee! Wake up, Renee! You're dreaming!"

` She screamed as she sat straight up in bed like Undertaker in a match. She panted, frantically looking around the room. She turned her eyes to me.

"Where's Reginald? Is he here? Where is he?!"

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa, Renee," I said sitting close to her on the bed. "Easy, honey. Just relax. Relax. He's not here. Reginald is not here."

Renee's panting slowed. I reached out to caress her cheek only for her to flinch.

"Hey, hey, hey. Easy. Easy. It's okay. I won't hurt you." My right hand cupped her cheek. "Reginald is not here. He can't hurt you now. He will never hurt you again. I promise."

Sobs soon escaped her and I pulled her close to my chest. I just held her and stroked her hair.

"It's okay, Renee. It's gonna be okay."

Renee pulled back from me and looked deep into my eyes. Then it happened. She grabbed ahold of my face and pulled me into a kiss. I gasped behind her lips and blinked in surprise.

WHOA! Is she really kissing me right now? Yes, she is. Now, I have two options. Option #1: I could pull away from her letting this show of affection cease. Option #2: I could let her lips linger on mine a little longer. Okay. I've made my decision.

"Hmm," I mumbled.

I closed my eyes, pulled her closer and kissed her right back.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Renee and I talked last night over Chinese food. She told me how her and Reginald met. They fell in love. He was kind and caring to her at first. However, he then became mentally and verbally abusive to her. Now, just recently, physically abusive. I felt like it was my fault that she got hurt. She told me it wasn't my fault, yet I had my doubts and I still felt responsible for the physical abuse bestowed on her. She touched my hand and reassured me that none of this was my fault and that Reginald had become the jealous type.

After supper was over, she went and showered and changed into some pajamas. We watched tv and ate some ice cream. She soon became tired and wanted to go to bed. She asked me if I could keep her company. So that's what I did. We slept together.

Now, when I say slept together, that's all it was. Sleeping. Nothing else. Totally innocent. She was afraid thta the nightmares would return that night while she was asleep. So when she asked me to stay with her, I couldn't deny her that request.

I never heard a peep out of her the entire night. Nothing. I woke the next morning to find she was not in the bed. I rubbe the sleep out of my eyes and yawned. Must have grabbed some clothes to get dressed in the spare bathroom. I rose out of bed and stretched. I bent down to touch my toes, then straightened back up, twist my waist. I dropped and did 25 pushups to get my blood pumping. I stood on my feet and walked over to the window. I twisted the rod to open the blinds so I could look out to the sky. Blue, blue, blue. What a beautiful thing to wake up to every morning. What a beautiful view of the sky. What...what...

*sniff sniff*

What was that smell?

*sniff sniff sniff*

"Coffee?"

*sniff sniff sniiiiiifffff*

"Aaahhhhh...bacon."

I smirked. So that's where Renee was. The kitchen.

I turned from the window and walked towards the bedroom door. I stood in the doorway. The aroma of fresh brewed coffee-Folgers was my cup of choice-and breakfast being made hit me. I decided to investigate towards the kitchen. I saw Renee standing by the stove and putting pancakes on a plate alongside eggs, bacon and toast. She must have sensed my presence cause she turned towards me and smiled.

"Good morning."

"Well, good morning to you. What are you up to?"

"Making breakfast. Hope you're hungry."

Actually, I was.

"Actually, I am. But, you didn't have to do this."

"I wanted to," she said grabbing a gallon of orange juice out of the fridge. She proceeded over to the cupboard and retrieved a glass.

"After what you did for me," she said as she poured the juice. "It's the least I could do to thank you."

She passed the glass over to me and I took it with a nod. "Seriously, you don't have to thank me," I said before taking a drink.

"Yes, Dean. I do. No arguments."

I swallowed the orange juice, then sat the glass on the counter.

"Oooooookay," I said walking over to her and gently spinning her around to face me.

"What?"

I picked her up by the waist and carried her over my shoulder.

"HEY!"

"Let's go, Renee."

I began carrying her back to the guest bedroom.

"Put me down, you turkey."

"Nope."

When we reached the bedroom, I lowered her to her feet so she was standing in front of me.

"Now, Miss Renee. You are going to get back into that bed while I go back to the kitchen to serve us up some of that wonderful breakfast you made."

"I did make the breakfast, yes. But I'm the one that should be serving you."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "You're not serving me, Renee. You won't serve any other man ever again. I mean it."

The smile disappeared from Renee's face.

"You are nobody's servant. Okay? You deserved better. You deserved to be treated like a queen. Reginald throwing you around, bruising you was not treating you the way you were meant to be treated. That's not romance. That's not love. Threating to slap you is not love. It's humility and control. He was showing you who was boss and you were to accept that. Well, no more, Renee. Never again."

A single tear fell down her cheek. I reached forward and wiped it away with my thumb.

"Now, I don't want to see those sad tears falling from your innocent eyes anymore. Okay?" She nodded in reply.

"Whatever went on before will never happen to you again. You have my word."

Renee stepped closer to me and wrapped her arms around me. I wrapped my arms around her in return.

"Thank you, Jonathan."

"You're welcome, Renee."


	9. Chapter 9

**Let's fast-forward 4 years. Let's see what adorableness Ambrose will be up to in this chapter.**

 **Chapter 9**

2017\. Since I met her, and over time, we had become incredibly close. Years had gone by and finally, we were married this past April. We got a house in Vegas and also a bulldog named Blue.

Monday Night Raw would be broadcast that night from Atlanta, Georgia. That was later on. Now, Renee and myself were walking along Atlanta enjoying the sites, even did a little shopping. We found an ice cream shop called Morellis Gourmet Ice Cream and went inside to have a scoop. She settled for neopolitan while I took mint chocolate chip. Delicious. We sat and talked and laughed like all couples do. Topic of discussion... family and holidays.

"I talked to my mother the other day," Renee mentioned.

"Yeah? How is she?"

"Fantastic. She's wondering when she can see her favorite son-in-law again."

"When December rolls around for Christmas. I love gathering in Canada for Christmas with your family."

"And they love you. But, that's in December. This is October. We need to think up what to dress up as for Halloween. I had thought up some ideas."

"Oh please don't say it."

"What?"

"Don't say Sonny and Cher or Peter Pan and Wendy."

"What's wrong with those pairings?"

"First of all: Cher was taller than Sonny and guess who would have to play Cher? Me wearing a long black wig and a dress? No way."

"Well, Sonny and Cher was not an option so you're safe there. But Peter Pan though..."

"A grown man wearing green tights. The guys in the locker room would make fun of me for sure. Plus, I used to wear tights when I wrestled in the Indies. Now, you know why I wrestle in jeans. Much more comfortable."

Renee laughed. "Understood. But what have you thought of in costumes?"

"I was thinking maybe Bonnie and Clyde. Or perhaps Harley Quinn and the Joker."

"Now, that one I hadn't thought of. Wait a minute. Jack Nicholson's Joker or Heath Ledger's Joker?"

"Heath Ledger's Joker hands down."

"You do remind me of the Joker sometimes."

I altered my voice and flicked my tongue out of my mouth. "Why so serious?"

We laughed a little before I felt a tug on my pant leg. I looked down to see a red hed freckle faced little boy looking up at me. "Hello there, buddy."

"Are you Dean Ambrose from the WWE?"

"I sure am, kiddo. How are you?"

"Fine."

"Henry!" We saw a woman with dark hair jogging over to him. "Honey, I told you to stay by me. I'm sorry if he's bothering you."

"No harm done, Ma'am," I said rising from my seat and kneeling in front of the boy. "Henry was it?"

"Yes."

I held out my hand. "I'm Dean Ambrose. Nice to meet you. And this is my wife Renee Young."

"Hi, Renee," he greeted with a wave.

"Hey, Henry. Good to meet you."

"This is my mom Julie."

"Nice to meet you," I said.

"Likewise."

"So, you're a WWE fan, huh?"

"Big fan. You're my favorite."

"How sweet. How old are you?"

"8."

"8. My goodness. And such a good looking kid. Hey, I have an idea. Of course if it's alright with your mom, could I buy you and ice cream cone?"

"Please, mom? Can he?"

"Sure."

I stood and guided Henry over to the ice cream counter where he ordered a single scoop chocolate ice cream. Treat in hand, we walked back over to his mom.

"Thank you, Mr. Ambrose. That was very sweet of you."

"Dean, please. And it was no problem at all."

Henry, Renee and myself posed for a few pictures together before he and his mother walked away with a skip in his step. Renee turned and smiled at me.

"What?"

"That was really sweet of you to do that. You made his day."

"I love my fans, especially the kids. Makes me wish I had one of my own."

"You would make a great dad."

I circled my arms around her waist. "And you...would make a great mom."

Her arms circled around the back of my neck. "Of course, you know having kids...I can make that happen."

Oh mama...

"Hmm. Can you?"

"I say after the show tonight, when we head to our hotel room after the show, maybe we could spend some _extra special_ quality time together."

"I could just call the guys and tell them to do the show without me."

"Nope." She stood on her toes and kissed me on the mouth. "Not happening."

She pulled away from me, then turned to walk out of the ice cream shop. Dang her for teasing me so.


	10. Chapter 10

**Things are about to get a little romantic for Deanee.**

 **Chapter 10**

There was always something about music. In my mind, music was good for the soul; an escape. It does wonders. I don't know if it's the words of the songs, the melodies, I don't know what. But music, man music. Nothing like it. So relaxing.

That's how I was feeling that afternoon at my Vegas home out back by the pool. Relaxing with my acoustic six-string across my lap, guitar pick in my hand. Something so comforting about strumming my guitar. It gave me freedom. Now, I'm no Eric Clapton but, I think I do okay.

A song pops into my head, then I begin to pick at the guitar strings, my right foot tapping. As the melody was being played, I let the words escape from my mouth.

 _I've been a rolling stone all my life._

 _Flying alone, flying blind._

 _I've seen it all, I've been around._

 _I've been lost and I've been found._

 _But, who I am with you is who I really wanna be._

 _You're so good for me._

 _And when I'm holding you, it feels like I've got the world in my hands._

 _Yeah, a better man is who I am with you._

I concluded the chorus as I saw Renee come and sitting to my left.

 _I've got a ways to go on this ride._

 _But I got a hand to hold that fits just right._

 _You make me laugh, you make me high,_

 _You make me wanna hold on tight._

 _'Cause who I am with you is who I really wanna be._

 _You're so go for me._

 _And when I'm holding you, it feels like I've got the world in my hands._

 _Yeah, a better man is who I am with you._

I looked over at Renee as I sang the last line of the Chris Young song. I strummed one final notes to the song, then sat the guitar aside.

"You didn't have to stop playing. I was enjoying it."

"Come here, you."

Renee rose from her seat and got nestled onto my lap. She in leaned in and kissed me briefly before her lips pulled away from mine.

"You didn't have to stop kissing me. I was enjoying it."

She chuckled. "Just curious. You play the guitar so well. How come you didn't think about becoming a musician instead of a wrestler?"

"Being a musician, I guess, was not in the cards for my career path. Wrestling came first."

"If you weren't a wrestler, would you have been a performer in a band?"

"Oh, no. Absolutely not."

"Seriously? Not in front of thousands of people?"

"Nope."

"Yet, you wrestle in front of thousands of people."

"Dean Ambrose has no problem wrestling in front of thousands of people. Jonathan David Good would get stage fright."

"Really? You?"

"Yes."

"Well, would you ever do it?"

"Depends."

"Depends..."

"On who I would be on stage with. As long as it's not Taylor Swift."

"Okay," Renee laughed before bringing her lips to mine once more. "You know I love you, right?"

"Without a doubt. You know I love you?"

"Yes."

"Good. Hang on tight, now."

I put my arms under her body and rose to my feet. I turned towards the house and stopped. I sniffed.

"You didn't shower this morning, did you?"

"Of course I did."

I sniffed her shoulder. "Sorry. Don't believe it."

I turned back from the house towards the pool.

"HEY HEY HEY! What's the big idea?!" WAIT A MINUTE!"

I stepped towards the deep end of the pool and dropped her in. I watched her come back up to the surface.

"Are you nuts? Have you lost your mind?"

"What?" I asked with a shrug.

"You're crazy."

I quickly gasped. "What did you just say?"

I screamed as I jumped into the pool after her. I made it to the surface and we began splashing and laughing together. I gently pushed her to the side of the pool.

"So," I began as our laughing died out. "Do you have any plans tonight?"

"No. What did you have in mind?"

"Well, for starters..."

I kissed her left cheek.

"Then..."

I kissed her right cheek.

"And maybe..."

I kissed her fully on the mouth. We kissed, and kissed and kissed some more. We got out of the pool and went up stairs to the bedroom where we kissed and kissed and kissed some more.

After our love making was over, Renee's head rested on my bare chest. I ran my fingers through her hair. I looked at her. Man, she was beautiful. Our eyes met.

"What," she asked me.

"Nothing. I just love you."

"I love you too."

Renee rose from the bed, and got dressed. "What do you say we order us a pizza for supper. Sound good to you?"

I sat up in bed, back resting against the head board, knees bent to my chest. "Sounds good to me."

"Great. I'll go down stairs and call it in, then I have another call to make."

"Who?"

"You gave me an idea."

My eyebrows furrowed. "Really? What's the idea?"

She turned in the door way of our bedroom and looked at me. "I ain't telling you. You're just gonna have to wait and see."

Now, allow me to clarify here. The last time I heard a woman say that she had an idea for me, it was a day at the spa getting manicured, haircut, even a massage. Don't get me wrong, I like a massage every once in a while. The guy was friendly. Perhaps a little _too_ friendly. He got awful close to my rear end a few times. If I felt him touching my butt at least once, I would hop off the massage table and knock him out. Well, not really, and he didn't, but still. And I could have swore he had the hots for me. EW! YUCK! Not my thing.

Well, whatever this idea was that Renee had for me...I hope it doesn't involve that over-friendly masseuse named Frank.


	11. Chapter 11

**ALL CREDIT GOES TO BON JOVI FOR THE USE OF THE SONG 'ROLLER COASTER'. Plus, there's a little surprise close to the end of the chapter.**

 **Chapter 11**

December came along and Renee, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and myself were standing backstage at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. We were in attendance of the Bon Jovi concert. This is where Renee's idea comes into play. Renee made a few calls and with some band rehearsals, I would be taking the stage for the first time alongside Bon Jovi. I would be playing guitar on a couple songs. This is what Renee wanted to see. Me. Onstage with Bon Jovi? Oh boy...

Wrestling in front of thousands of people was nothing. Playing guitar on stage in front of thousands of people...It's quite obvious which one I'm more comfortable doing.

"I'm not sure I can do this," I muttered.

"Relax," Renee said rubbing my shoulders. "You've got this."

"We're here for you, Dean," Seth reassured.

"Rooting for ya, bro," Roman added.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen," came the voice of Bon Jovi. "We have a very interesting treat for you. We have a guy getting ready to come out to join us on a fun ditty. But first, let me ask, any WWE fans out there?"

The crowd cheered.

"Wow! Rowdy crowd! Okay everyone, let's make welcome to the stage, WWE Superstar and Las Vegas native, Mr. Dean Ambrose!"

I walked out onto the stage to a roaring crowd. I waved to the crowd and bowed. I was given a red Les Paul guitar electric guitar and guitar pick. I placed the strap over my shoulder.

"Alright, man. You ready for this?'

I stepped up to the microphone. "Is my nervousness showing?"

The audience laughed.

"I can't notice," Bon Jovi answered.

Oh, thank God. "I think I'm ready."

"Okay, guys. Let's do this thing."

The band played the opening chords to a song titled Roller Coaster. Bon Jovi stepped up to the microphone.

 **Verse 1** : _I see you thinking twice._

 _Wish I could read your mind._

 _Move up or out of line._

 _Too late for praying._

 _I know we might lose our breath._

 _We might be scared to death._

 _The chance is like a step._

 _Just got to take it._

 _Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh_

 _Count down and here we go oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh_

Yeah. Here we go. It's now or never.

 **Chorus** : _Hold on tight, slide a little closer._

 _Up so high, stars are on our shoulders._

 _Time flies by. Don't close your eyes._

 _Kiss by kiss, love is like a thrill ride._

 _What goes up might take us upside down._

 _Life ain't a merry-go-round._

 _It's a roller coaster. It's a roller coaster._

"Take the next verse, Dean."

 **Verse 2** : _Can't lie and won't pretend._

 _I know what's round the bend._

 _Too late to start again._

 _Won't take it slower._

 _Let's slip right off these tracks._

 _We'll fly or we might crash._

 _Don't look down, don't look back._

 _Cause it ain't over._

 **Bon Jovi-Chorus:** _Hold on tight, slide a little closer._

 _Up so high, stars are on our shoulders._

 _Time flies by, don't close your eyes._

 _Kiss by kiss, love is like a thrill ride._

 _What goes up might take us upside down._

 _Life ain't a merry-go-round._

 _It's a roller coaster. It's a roller coaster._

 **Dean:** _Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh_

 _Countdown and here we go oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh_

 _So hold on tight, slide a little closer._

 _Up so high, stars are on our shoulders._

 _It's a roller coaster._

 **Bon Jovi:** _Kiss by kiss, love is like a thrill ride._

 _What goes up might take us upside down._

 _Life ain't a merry-go-round._

 _It's a roller coaster. It's a roller coaster._

 _Roller coaster. It's a roller coaster._

The song ended and the crowd clapped and cheered. I got a high five from Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, the lead guitarist of the group.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Bon Jovi said. "Let's hear it for Dean Ambrose!"

I waved to the crowd as I walked backstage. I passed my guitar over to the stagehand as Renee, Roman and Seth approached.

"That was incredible," Roman said with a fist bump.

"Nice job, man," Seth complimented with a high-five.

Renee pulled me into a hug. "I am so proud of you."

"I couldn't have done it without you."

Later on in the show, I was invited back out to do three more songs with Bon Jovi. 'Living On A Prayer', 'Thank You For Loving Me' which was a dedication to my wife Renee and we finished with the song 'Because We Can'. The songs finished and the crowd erupted as Bon Jovi thanked the crowd for an amazing show. Just then, I heard a voice sound over the speakers.

"The night is not over yet."

I turned to my right. Renee? She stood over to the side of the stage with a microphone in hand. She walked out onto the stage and introduced herself as my wife. The crowd clapped.

"I have something to say to my dear wonderful husband."

I took off my guitar and handed it to Richie as Renee approached me.

"Honey. First off, I wanted to say you did an amazing job up here on this stage tonight and I am so very proud of you. Second of all, these past years of my life with you have been some of the best years of my life. I have enjoyed having you around. I have enjoyed having you in my life. I could not imagine my life without you. I love you."

 **Audience:** "Awwwwww..."

I took her by the hand and looked lovingly into Renee's eyes.

"There is something else I wanted to tell you. Is that okay?"

I nodded.

"Remember that night back home when you and me..."

She gave me a little wink.

"Oh, yes I remember. That night was _quite_ magical."

 **Audience:** "Ooooooooo..."

"Well, what I'm about to tell you is gonna come as a surprise. I went to the doctor the other day cause I wasn't feeling well."

"Wasn't feeling well? Why didn't you say something?"

"I didn't want to worry you. Anyways, I went and got some tests done. Everything was fine. I'm fine. I have a clean bill of health."

I hung my head. "Oh, thank God."

"That's not all." I looked up at her. Tears formed in her eyes. "Sweetheart...Merry Christmas. You're gonna be a dad."

"WHAT?!"

The crowd gasped. I quickly stepped back in shock. My hands circled my head.

"WHAT?!" I repeated.

"You're gonna be a dad! I'm pregnant!"

I laughed in excitement and approached her again. I hugged her tightly with tears in my own eyes. I lifted her off her feet by the waist and spun around. I lowered her to her feet and kissed her like I'd never kissed her before. Everyone cheered and clapped. I broke the kiss.

"I love you, Renee."

She reached up and wiped tears from my eyes.

"I love you too, Jonathan."

I lowered myself to my knees and placed a gentle kiss on her abdomen. As if this night couldn't have gotten any better, I found out I was gonna be a dad.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

March of 2018, a month before Wrestlemania. I was in Tacoma, Washington that night for Monday Night Raw. Renee was taking some time away from the WWE cause of the pregnancy. The WWE was giving her a couple of weeks to relax, which is what I think she needed. As for me, I was feuding with my then Shield brother Seth Rollins. Our first feud together was he was the bad guy and I was the good guy. This time, the rolls were reversed and I was now a full-blown heel of the WWE. It wasn't that I didn't like being the good guy. I loved it. It was time for me to see what I could do as a heel.

I was on my phone with Renee as I was getting my stuff together at my hotel room to head to the Tacoma Dome for tonight's event.

" _So, what will you be doing on the show tonight?_ "

"Just the usual. Getting people to hate me as much as possible. I guess I'll have to wait till I get to the arena and know for sure what's on my plate tonight."

" _Well, I am loving this feud you and Seth are having together. How is he, by the way?_ "

"He's doing great. He told me the next time I talked to you to tell you hello."

" _Please tell him I said the same thing...and don't go too hard on him if you decide to dish out some punishment._ "

"Hey, it was a long time coming. He turned on the Shield years ago and now it was my turn to turn on him. He deserved it."

" _Oh Jonathan..._ " she chuckled. " _I'm gonna tell him you said that._ "

I chuckled. "He knows I'm just playing. We like making things rough for each other. That's just how we are. Change of subject. How are you doing? You relaxing?"

" _Yeah I am. Blue is good company. Don't get me wrong. I love Blue, but the dog is not you. He can't wrap me in his arms or tell me he loves me or kiss me goodnight. I take that back. He kisses, but the kisses are just slobbery licks."_

I laughed. "Well, you just take it easy, okay? Get some rest."

" _I will. I'll be watching for you tonight. Don't cause too much mischief._ "

"Hey. Mischief is my middle name. I'm the Lunatic Fringe Dean Ambrose. Remember?" She chuckled and I became serious. "I'm sorry I can't be there with you."

" _I understand. It's part of the job."_

"Yeah, I know. Well, I'm gonna let you go so you can get some rest. I love you."

" _I love you too._ "

"Bye."

 _"Bye, baby."_

I disconnected the call and put my phone in my back jeans pocket before grabbing my bags to leave the hotel room. Moments later, I stood at the front desk returning my key to a young African-American male.

"Hello, sir. Checking out."

"Sure am," I said handing him the key.

"How was your stay, Mr. Good?"

"Wonderful. Now, if I had a way to sneak that bed out of here and take it home with me.

The gentleman laughed. "I'm afraid that's impossible, sir."

"Well, I had to try."

"Nice try. Oh, and you have a limo waiting for you out front."

"Really?"

"Yes, sir."

"I'll be darned. Must be my lucky day."

We said our farewells, then I rolled my bags outside where sure enough, a limo was waiting for me. The doorman helped put my bags into the trunk. I tipped him and with a tip of his hat, thanked me. I got situated into the back seat of the limo and the doorman shut the door for me. He gave a couple of taps to the top of the roof, and the limo pulled away from the hotel.

"Where to, sir?" the limo driver asked me.

"The Tacoma Dome. I have a show there tonight."

"That WWE event here in town."

"Yeah."

I sat back and watched the buildings pass by through the window. We drove past a sign that said Tacoma Dome Arena half a mile from the turn. We came to the road to turn to the arena.

We missed the turn. Hmm. That's strange. He must not have seen the sign.

"Um...excuse me, driver. I believe you missed the turn-off to the arena."

"We're not going to the arena, Mr. Good. Or should I call you Mr. Ambrose?"

Huh? What? The doors to the limo locked inside.

"Hey! Hey! What's going on? Answer me! Answer me now!"

The window rolled down to see the front of the limo and the driver. Something was tossed into the back. I looked at what landed at my feet. I jump back into my seat. I began to kick at the back doors to open. Nothing. I just kept kicking.

"Remember, Mr. Ambrose, when I said that I was going to kill you?"

I stopped kicking. That voice. That _voice_. I froze. I began coughing from the gas.

"Tonight, Dean. I intend on making good on that promise. And you'll never see Renee again."

"Reginald..."

I felt myself getting weaker. My vision blurred from the gas. I was losing focus.

Then...

Blackness.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

I couldn't recollect how long I was passed out from the gas bomb. Or how I got to...well, wherever my current location was. All I could tell was I was lying on the floor in what I assumed was a basement. I went to move my feet...wait. What? My right ankle was chained to the floor. Something else. My wrists were taped behind my back. I couldn't get them apart. And my mouth...tape over my mouth. Oh no. Captured. Taken hostage. Bound and gagged. What makes it worse was I had been captured, taken hostage, bound and gagged by someone from my past I thought would never darken our lives again.

I heard a door open and footfalls on the steps. I saw Reginald Jenkins descend the stairs, shotgun in one hand, a knife in the other. He was all dressed in black. He stood in front of me.

"Well, well, well. Dean Ambrose. Long time no see. You don't loook very comfortable. I'm not entirely heartless. I'm gonna remove the tape from your wrists and your mouth. But, try anything stupid, you'll find this blade directly in your chest. Understand?"

"Mmm-hmm," I mumbled.

"Good. Now, hold still."

I breathed a sigh of relief after the tape was removed from my mouth. I flexed my jaw as he started cutting through the tape behind my back. The tape was soon removed and he tossed the blade aside. I moved my sore arms back out in front of me. I sat up and moved my arms to get more circulation going through them.

"Now, as you might have figured out, we have some unfinished business to tend to."

"Yeah, I did figure that just as soon as I saw that ugly mug of a face. I've heard the expression 'A face only a mother could love'. But, I don't see how any mother could love a hideous face like yours."

Reginald reached down and slapped me hard across the left cheek.

"I would watch my tongue if I were you. It could get you into a lot of trouble."

I rose to my knees and looked up at him. "Aren't I in enough trouble already?"

"More than you realize." He placed the nozzle of the shotgun under my chin. "Now, stand up and face me like a man."

I rose to my feet slowly, not once taking my eyes off of him.

"Now, since I left the WWE, I've been watching you. I've been following your career for years. Very impressive your accomplishments. Money in the bank winner. First member of the Shield to become a Grandslam Champion holding every title possible, including Intercontinental champion twice. You even did a movie. _12 Rounds: Lockdown_. Great movie by the way. What else happened? Oh yes. You steal my girl and got her pregnant.

"You didn't deserve her."

"She was mine."

"Not anymore."

I staggered back as he backhanded me across the face. I was able to gain my footing before I hit the floor. I turned and faced him. Laughing. I wiped a trickle of blood from my lower lip.

"Oh, come on, Reginald. After all this time you have me and now that you have me, that's the best you can do? That's the worst you've got? All those times you threw Renee around. All those times you slapped Renee around. Did it make you feel like a real man when you hit her? When you hurt her? Let's face it, Reginald. This is straight up fact. I love Renee more than you ever did. I never, not once, raised a hand to her...and never will. I am more of a man than you will ever measure up to be."

Reginald made a fist ready to strike when the phone in my backpocket rang. Actually, I forgot I had it. Reginald reached forward and pulled it out of my jeans and read the name on the caller ID.

 **RENEE PAQUETTE**

Reginald seethed. "You say anything stupid, I'll drop you where you stand. I will have you on speaker. Don't say anything about me being here."

Reginald pressed a button on my phone, then held it between the both of us.

"Hey, Renee."

" _There you are. Seth called and said you weren't at the arena. He tried to call your cellphone but you didn't answer._ "

He must have called when I was unconscious. I didn't want to lie to her and tell her what was going on, but what choice did I have. I couldn't let her worry. I cared for her too much. "I must have had the phone in my car. I got a flat tire on the way to the arena. I'll have to call him back later and let him know I'm running late for the show."

Smooth move, Jonathan. Real smooth.

" _That stinks. Sorry about that_."

"Hey, it happens. No worries."

" _Okay, well, I just wanted to check up on you and see if you were okay. I'll talk to you later._ "

"Oh, hold on, Renee."

" _Yes?_ "

"You know I love you, right?"

 _"Well, of course I know you love me. You tell me everyday. Why do you ask?_ "

"Well, I'm just talking crazy, but, God forbid, if I died today, I just want you to know that I always love you."

" _I know you do. But, I don't plan on losing you anytime soon._ "

Oh boy...

"That's good to hear. Well, I'd better let you go."

" _Okay, hon. I love you._ "

I looked at Reginald as I asked this next question. "You really love me? More than your ex?"

" _Oh yes. You saved me from him. You mean more to me than he ever would._ "

I smirked. He didn't.

"Well, Renee, I have to go now. Take care of our child and take care of yourself."

" _I will. You take care of yourself too._ "

"I do love you."

" _I do love you too._ "

I silently gulped. "Goodbye, Renee."

" _Goodbye, Jonathan._ "

Reginald ended the call. He looked furious.


	14. Chapter 14

**Okay, readers. Who's ready for some fighting? *DING DING DING***

 **Chapter 14**

The phrase 'if looks could kill' comes to mind as I looked at the scowl on Reginald's ugly mug. He was breathing heavily through his nostrils, my phone still in his hand. He growled as he chucked my phone across the room. It broke when it smashed against the wall. He gripped the shotgun in both hands.

"She loves you...more than she loved me. She loves you...more than she...loved _me!"_

He swung the butt of the shotgun into my stomach, driving the air out of me. I crumbled to the floor at his feet. My arms circled around my midsection as I moaned and groaned. I tried to draw a breath but it just came out as coughing. He dropped the shotgun to the floor and walked over to a wall. I heard a chain rattle as it was being retrieved from the wall.

"I told you...that I would kill you. When I was in that prison cell, all I ever thought about, all I had ever dreamed of, was killing you. And now, the wait is over. I have been looking forward to this for a very long time."

I cried out when I felt the chain wrap around my throat. He pulled me back towards him and we collided together on the floor. The chain was wrapped so tight around my throat. I coughed and gagged. My hands grabbed at the chain. My legs kicked as I struggled under his powerful grasp. My foot hit something. The blade. The blade he used to cut my restraints. I reached forward with my left foot and began pulling the blade towards my body. When it was close enough, I reached with my left hand and took up the blade. Handle in hand, I took the knife and stabbed Reginald in the right arm. He hollered in pain and released the chain from my throat. I deeply gasped and coughed more. I lifted the knife and stabbed him in the left leg. I dropped the blade and searched his pockets for a key.

Aha!

I took the key and unlocked the lock of the chain around my ankle. I rose to my feet and made my way up the steps and out the basement door. I slammed the door shut behind me and grabbed a chair to set it under the doorknob to jam it closed. I saw a phone to my left hanging on the wall. I picked up the receiver. Crap. No signal. I ran to the living room. I tried to open the windows. Crap. Locked from the outside. I went to unlock the numerous locks on the door and...

 **CRASH**

I turned and let out a scream at the sound. Reginald was out of the basement and slowly walking towards me. Blood seeped through his pant leg and black sweat shirt. I stood there panting, stiff as a board. Nowhere to run. And if I did try to run, Reginald would nab me. I was a sitting duck. I was trapped.

"Ambrose, Ambrose, Ambrose. You just made me angry. You know what happens when you make me angry?" He stopped a few inches in front of me. "Ask the no-good, lousy, worthless piece of trash you call your wife."

I clenched my fist. You can mock me all you want, but never, ever, _ever,_ mock my wife. It was now or never. Fight or die.

Die is not in my vocabulary.

Fight is.

I growled through gritted teeth and charged. We hit the floor, crashing through a coffee table. He struggle under my weight. I knelt on his chest and started punching. I punched his face, his body, anything I could. I was knocked away from him with a right hook. He crawled over to me and pushed me onto my back. His hands wrapped around my neck. I brought my legs up and over his head. Using my leg strength, like Chuck Norris, I pushed him onto his back locking in an arm bar. I brought my legs down twice onto his chest, then released the hold. I began to rise from the floor, but he grabbed ahold of my right ankle and tripped me. I turned to a seated position and, using my free foot, kicked him hard in the face.

I got to my feet and ran out of the living room and up the stairs to the second floor of the house. I stopped to rest a second. Man, my ribs hurt where he hit me earlier. I groaned in pain. I was sure a rib was cracked, if not broken. Reginald soon made his way up the stairs to meet me. He was panting through a bloody mouth.

"Okay, Ambrose. The fun is over. I said I would kill you...and I will. If you would have just stayed away from Renee like I told you to, you might have actually lived."

"I love her more than you ever did."

He ran towards me and rammed me against the wall. I turned and rammed him against the wall. He retaliated with an elbow to my face. I connected with a right hook. I went for a left, but it was blocked. He struck me with a left backhand, then a left punch. He then connected with a right that sent me down. I used the wooded posted barrier of the staircase to rise to my feet. My right arm circled around my sore rib cage. Reginald huffed and puffed. He charged at me once more.

"DIE DEAN AMBROSE!"

I swerved to the right and dropped to the floor. He crashed through the wooded posts. I heard him scream as he fell, then a sickening thud. I was pressed against the wall, arms still circled around my ribs. I crawled across the floor where the wood was broken. I looked over the side and saw the contorted body of Reginald Jenkins. His arms, legs and neck were bent in awkward positions. It was enough to make a man...uh-oh.

I vomited over the side at the view below me. I wiped the puke and spit from my mouth. I turned away from the edge and layed down, resting on my right side. I closed my eyes and tried to still my breathing. After everything that had happened that afternoon leading into the night, only one thing mattered to me. Only one word escaped my lips in a whisper.

"Renee..."


	15. Chapter 15

**Alright, readers. It's now time for the part I dread the most: ending the story. The final chapter of the narrative. I hope you all have enjoyed it. Credit to Plumb for the song 'In My Arms' used in this chapter and for the title of this story. And now, the conclusion of the story 'In My Arms'. Please enjoy.**

 **Chapter 15:**

"Jonathan? Jonathan? Where are you?"

I strained to answer her. "In the living room, honey."

I heard footsteps approach and my wife soon came into view. She looked at me and placed her hands on her hips. She couldn't help but smile at the sight in front of her.

"Jonathan."

"Hi, babe," I strained again.

"What in the world is going on?"

Our 4 year old daughter popped her head up from behind me. She had me down on the floor after I had showed her how to apply a cross face chicken wing on me.

"Hi, mommy!"

"Jessica Louise Good. What are you up to?"

"Daddy was just showing me a wrestling move," she said.

"Yeah, and she's really good at it."

"Okay, Jessica. Release your father's neck and get up off the floor. We have to get ready for the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony tonight."

"Oh, okay."

Jessica released her grip from around my neck and we rose from the floor.

"Did I hurt you too bad, daddy," she asked, her blue eyes looking up at me."

"Of course not, buttercup," I said rubbing her blonde hair. "Now, go get your dress on. We'll be leaving in over an hour. Okay?"

"Okay, daddy."

Jessica ran up to her mother. "Would you help me, mommy?"

"Head to your room and I'll be there in a little bit."

After Jessica was out of sight, Renee turned to looked towards me, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What," I asked in a shrug.

Renee walked in and wrapped her arms around my waist. "Don't you think she's a little too young for you to be showing her some wrestling moves?"

"She was curious. I mean, come on. How can I say no to that cute little face?"

"Kiss me."

I rubbed my fingers against her chin. "Now, how can I say no to this cute little face?"

Our lips met in a brief kiss.

"Mmm. Lovely. We should pick this up later on."

"I agree. But, first, I need to go help our daughter get dressed for tonight. And you need to do the same."

"Got it."

She gave me one more kiss on the cheek before departing from me I sat on the bed to removed my boots.

"Honey?"

I looked up to see Renee standing in the doorway...shaking those hips. She gave me a wink before exiting the room. I growled playfully.

-The Hall of Fame Induction ceremony was another successful evening. We stepped off the elevator headed to our room. Poor Jessica was so tired, I carried her sleeping body to our room. Renee unlocked the door and we stepped inside. I shut the door behind us.

"Here. I'll take her to get her pajamas on."

I gently passed Jessica into Renee's arms. "She's so sleepy," I said brushing the bangs out of my child's sleeping eyes.

"Yes, she is."

Renee carried Jessica away and I went to sit in the living room. I removed my black dress jacket and removed my necktie. I unbuttoned and rolled up my sleeves to my white dress shirt, then reached for the remote to turn on the tv. I turned it to sports where the newscaster was talking about the game of the Cincinnati Reds beating, no, pulverizing, the St. Louis Cardinals 13-4. That's my team. I guess I had bragging rights over my home state team and I had something to tease Randy Orton about tomorrow when I saw him.

Renee walked into the living room and began rubbing my shoulders.

"Oh, honey. That feels so good."

"There will be more of that later on...after you go say goodnight to our baby girl. She asks for you."

I stood from the couch and walked to Jessica's room. I tapped on the door to let her know I was there.

"Hi, daddy."

I walked into the room and sat on the bed. "Hey, baby. Have fun tonight?"

"Yep," she answered with a yawn.

"Sleepy, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Tomorrow's the big day. Tomorrow, you'll actually get to see me wrestle live for the first time. And what better place for that to happen then at Wrestlemania. Are you excited?"

"Yes, daddy. I can't wait."

"Me neither. I'll be looking out for you and mom tomorrow in the crowd. But, that's tomorrow night. Now, how about you close those eyes and go to sleep?"

She nodded. "Daddy? Would you sing me a song? Please?"

"Give me your hand."

She placed her tiny right hand in mine. I rubbed my thumb against the top of her hand.

" _Your baby blues, so full of wonder._

 _Your curly cues. Your contagious smile._

 _And as I watch, you start to grow up._

 _All I can do is hold you tight._

 _Knowing clouds will raise up. Storms will race in._

 _But you will be safe in my arms._

 _Rains will pour down. Waves will crash around._

 _But you will be safe in my arms._

 _In my arms._ "

Her eyes closed in sleep and I leaned in to kiss her forehead softly.

"Goodnight, Jessica," I whispered.

"Goodnight, daddy," she whispered back.

I got up from the bed and began to walk out of her bedroom. I shut the door slowly and quietly behind me. I walked back to the living room and picked up my jacket and tie. I began walking down the hallway towards mine and Renee's bedroom. I walked into the room...and stopped.

I stood at the doorway, mouth dropped open, eyes bulging. I dropped my jacket and tie. I gulped in shock.

"Oh...my...word."

Renee stood before me at the foot of the bed in a black lace lingerie.

"I've been waiting for you, Mr. Lunatic Fringe."

"Oh, boy."

What love we shared for each other that night. It was special. It was lovely. It was magical. It was amazing. I looked to my right at her sleeping frame next to mine. Boy, she really was beautiful. She was the angel of my life. She was my light. She was everything to me and more. As I started my little tale; women. Women, women, women. Can't live with them. Can't live without them.

And this was _definetely_ one woman I could not live without.

Believe that.

 **THE END**


End file.
